Busch, the 2004 Cup champion, sits 18th in the standings after 12 races but just 31 points outside of the top 10. He thinks he can make up that difference over the next 14 and earn an automatic bid to the Chase rather than have to hope for a wild-card spot based on victories.

"If you go for wins, then you're going to run well and finish consistent," Busch said Friday at Dover International Speedway. "If you try to go for a win and gamble and then you get an 18th-place finish, then you're going to wish you went more for the consistent side of it.

"The way I look at the garage right now is consistency is what pays and that's the way it's always been."

So Busch isn't in the mood for any outlandish gambles. If he does gamble, it will be based on his car's performance. He led the final practice Saturday at Dover and will start the FedEx 400 on Sunday from 13th.

"Raw speed is going to be the best way to make the Chase and that is what we have right now and we have to lean on that," Busch said.

Driving for Furniture Row Racing, an organization that has never made the Chase, Busch knows just earning a spot in the postseason would be a big accomplishment. But his crew chief, Todd Berrier, is looking at even bigger things.

"I want to be in the Chase for sure but I want to be in a spot to win it," Berrier said. "I don't just want to be in it to be in it.